The Perspicuity of Scripture
CENTRAL TRUTH: THE BIBLE IS CLEAR AND UNDERSTANDABLE FOR ALL CHRISTIANS
God graciously gave the Bible so people could know what is true. Nobody required God to write the Bible. He did it because He loves His creation and chose to speak to us. God was gracious in how He communicated. He gave the Bible in words, as a book, so it could be read, re-read, and understood. The Bible's teaching about salvation and living as a Christian is clear and understandable. God gave the Holy Spirit to help Christians be sure they understand the Scriptures. However, God also expects His people to work carefully and diligently to understand His Word correctly. When we say the Bible is CLEAR, we are speaking of the PERSPICUITY OF SCRIPTURE. The word perspicuity means “ CLARITY .” To say that something is perspicacious is to say that it is clear. The doctrine of the perspicuity (clarity) of Scripture is one of the basic tenets of Protestant evangelicalism regarding the Bible, along with the doctrines of the inspiration, inerrancy, and sufficiency of Scripture. In short, the doctrine of perspicuity means that the central message of the Bible is clear and understandable and that the Bible itself can be properly interpreted in a normal, LITERAL sense.
The Perspicuity of Scripture is a doctrine maintaining that the gospel of Jesus Christ and the SALVATION obtained through him are clearly presented in Scripture. This is a Reformation Era doctrine. In protest against a common view at the time prior to the Reformation that Scripture is too complicated for ordinary people to understand apart from church tradition and the mediation of priests, John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, Martin Luther and other Reformers argued for biblical perspicuity. The doctrine influenced both their passion for Bible translation and their preference for simple preaching in the language/vernacular of the people. Affirming perspicuity does not eradicate the need for skilled biblical INTERPRETATION or imply that every part of Scripture is plain and clear. Rather, it affirms that the message of Scripture is presented with enough clarity that it can be understood, at least at a basic level, without advanced theological or exegetical training.
So, the Bible is clear in the sense that it is understandable to even the simplest of people. Sadly, sin darkens its discernment of unbelievers so that they willingly reject the Scriptures. Furthermore, even Christians do not automatically understand the Scriptures perfectly. The Holy Spirit helps Christians believe and understand the Bible more and more. Yet Christians still must put in the hard work of carefully studying Scripture to rightly understand the truths.
1. The Bible is CLEAR
Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name. John 20:30–31
God did not breathe out the words of the Bible to be confusing The Lord's whole purpose was to make the truth available to mankind. Mental brilliance is not necessary to understand the Bible. There are no special messages written in code. Instead, the Bible is a straightforward book whose message is obvious. A plain reading of the Bible uncovers exactly what it is about, just like reading any other normal book does.
A. Its Words are Understandable
The Bible is understandably clear. John was one of Jesus' closest disciples who wanted to be understood clearly. John said that he left out many signs and miracles that Jesus did (John 20:30).
However, he wrote the words he did so people would believe that Jesus really was the Messiah and God's son. In fact, the whole Bible is similarly clear. In Psalm 19:7, David wrote that God's Word makes simple people wise, God's Word is able to help people who are simple because it is clear and understandable, even though they may lack intelligence and make poor decisions. In the New Testament, Jesus assumed the Bible was clear by consistently referencing the Scriptures (Matt 12:3; 19:14; 21:42), Christ expected people who read God's Word to make sense of it and be able to think accordingly.
B. Its Message is Believable
The Bible is clearly understandable, and it is certainly believable. John's purpose for writing an understandable record of Jesus' life and ministry was to cause belief (John 20:31). John gave authentic eyewitness reports of Jesus’ words and works. John intended one specific result from the signs he included in his gospel account. His goal was to promote belief in Jesus as the Messiah, the divine Son of God. John was so convinced of Jesus' divine nature that he wrote his entire gospel in order to bring others to that same belief. When the entire book of john is considered, it makes perfect sense to believe that Jesus is the Messiah. No one else could do the miracles john wrote about, or say the things John wrote down, or live the life John recorded, if he was not the Messiah. John's message is consistent with the rest of the Bible and entirely believable.
2. The Bible is ILLUMINATED
For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints,16 do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers;17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might." Ephesians 1:15–19
It is true that some of the Bible is hard to understand.However, it is never impossible to understand, even if it demands time and effort. God did not hide His message in the Bible but rather revealed it. It is also true that some people refuse to believe the Bible's message. However, they refuse to believe because they are hardened toward God and His message, not because they don't understand it (2 Cor 4:4). God made a special way to help believers know for sure the Bible is true. He provided the Holy Spirit to help Christians understand by illuminating the Bible. The word illumination" refers to the work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of Christians to help them understand the Bible when it is heard or read. Like shining a light in the dark, the Spirit makes truth stand out in people's minds. From salvation and then all through the Christian life, Christians need the Holy Spirit to illumine their minds to God's character and works.
A. The Beginning of illumination
Not every person is a Christian, even if they attend church and know about God. In another one of his letters, John wrote a letter explaining what true saving faith looks like in real life. No doubt the apostle John saw many people in the early church who thought they were Christians even though they really weren't (1 John). One key element of true faith is that the Holy Spirit must be the one who teaches people about God and their need for Him. As John reached the end of his letter, he finished with a note of confidence. True Christians can be confident that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into the world and made it possible to know Him (1 John 5:20). Jesus provided the understanding needed to have a personal relationship with the true God, and He did so by sending His Spirit. The Spirit brings conviction of sin as well as confidence in the truth of the gospel, which results in repentance and genuine salvation (John 16:7-11). The understanding the Spirit brings is like someone turning the lights on. Suddenly, unbelievers understand their sin and their absolute need to be rescued by Jesus.
B. The Blessings of Illumination
Jesus is the light of the world. Though that is true, not every person experiences that light. Only those who come to Jesus by faith enjoy the inner spiritual illumination that helps them understand God and His Word. The Spirit helps sinners realize their need for salvation and their only hope in Christ, but that is just the beginning of His work of illumination. Salvation is simply the beginning of a life meant to be full of continued illumination, an ever-increasing understanding of God's Word. Paul wrote about the ongoing blessings of illumination in the first chapter of Ephesians. Paul glorified God for His amazing work in salvation and pointed out that salvation is intended to bring God all the glory He is due (Eph 1:1-13). He also prayed for the Ephesian believers to continue to grow and have Scripture illuminated for them after their conversion (1:15-19). The Spirit's ongoing illumination is necessary because Christians fail to understand all they should about God. Their knowledge is limited and their spiritual eyesight weak. With the Spirit's help, Christians can grow in their understanding of God and His ways (Eph 1:17-18). Illumination is not the same as revelation. Revelation refers to the Spirit uncovering new truth. Illumination does not mean that Christians add to the Bible, but rather understand the Word of God more clearly.
3. The Bible Must Be UNDERSTOOD
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
Christians ought to be thankful that the Bible is so clear and that God sent His Spirit to illuminate His Word to His people. The reason for such needed thankfulness is because God expects His Word to be rightly understood. Christians must be careful to study God's Word and avoid misunderstanding its powerful truths.
A. The Duty to Understand
In 2 Timothy 2:15, the apostle Paul told Timothy to work hard at studying the Bible. He wanted Timothy to rightly understand and explain it. Like a careful carpenter cutting a board, or a tentmaker cutting some cloth, pastors must be careful to get God's Word exactly right. Though this command is for pastors, it reflects God's expectation for careful study of the Bible. Often people confuse the truth of illumination with the idea of interpretation. "Interpretation" means deciding what the Bible means. Sometimes two different people can read the same passage and come to two different conclusions about what it means. However, God's Word does not have many different meanings. One person is right, and one is wrong. Only the right interpretation of a passage uncovers God's message.
B. The Danger of Misunderstanding
Misinterpreting God's Word has disastrous results. The Pharisees did not correctly understand the Bible and failed to realize that Jesus was the Messiah (John 5:39). The early church fought long and hard about God's message against misunderstandings regarding how Jews and Gentiles should live as Christians (Gal 2:11-15). Sometimes misunderstanding the Bible leads to minor problems that Christians disagree over, and sometimes it exposes the difference between true Christians and pretenders. However, misunderstanding God's Word at any level is harmful to Christians. Through humble and careful study, every Christian should do his best to understand exactly what God means in the Bible
God graciously gave the Bible so people could know what is true. Nobody required God to write the Bible. He did it because He loves His creation and chose to speak to us. God was gracious in how He communicated. He gave the Bible in words, as a book, so it could be read, re-read, and understood. The Bible's teaching about salvation and living as a Christian is clear and understandable. God gave the Holy Spirit to help Christians be sure they understand the Scriptures. However, God also expects His people to work carefully and diligently to understand His Word correctly. When we say the Bible is CLEAR, we are speaking of the PERSPICUITY OF SCRIPTURE. The word perspicuity means “ CLARITY .” To say that something is perspicacious is to say that it is clear. The doctrine of the perspicuity (clarity) of Scripture is one of the basic tenets of Protestant evangelicalism regarding the Bible, along with the doctrines of the inspiration, inerrancy, and sufficiency of Scripture. In short, the doctrine of perspicuity means that the central message of the Bible is clear and understandable and that the Bible itself can be properly interpreted in a normal, LITERAL sense.
The Perspicuity of Scripture is a doctrine maintaining that the gospel of Jesus Christ and the SALVATION obtained through him are clearly presented in Scripture. This is a Reformation Era doctrine. In protest against a common view at the time prior to the Reformation that Scripture is too complicated for ordinary people to understand apart from church tradition and the mediation of priests, John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, Martin Luther and other Reformers argued for biblical perspicuity. The doctrine influenced both their passion for Bible translation and their preference for simple preaching in the language/vernacular of the people. Affirming perspicuity does not eradicate the need for skilled biblical INTERPRETATION or imply that every part of Scripture is plain and clear. Rather, it affirms that the message of Scripture is presented with enough clarity that it can be understood, at least at a basic level, without advanced theological or exegetical training.
So, the Bible is clear in the sense that it is understandable to even the simplest of people. Sadly, sin darkens its discernment of unbelievers so that they willingly reject the Scriptures. Furthermore, even Christians do not automatically understand the Scriptures perfectly. The Holy Spirit helps Christians believe and understand the Bible more and more. Yet Christians still must put in the hard work of carefully studying Scripture to rightly understand the truths.
1. The Bible is CLEAR
Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name. John 20:30–31
God did not breathe out the words of the Bible to be confusing The Lord's whole purpose was to make the truth available to mankind. Mental brilliance is not necessary to understand the Bible. There are no special messages written in code. Instead, the Bible is a straightforward book whose message is obvious. A plain reading of the Bible uncovers exactly what it is about, just like reading any other normal book does.
A. Its Words are Understandable
The Bible is understandably clear. John was one of Jesus' closest disciples who wanted to be understood clearly. John said that he left out many signs and miracles that Jesus did (John 20:30).
However, he wrote the words he did so people would believe that Jesus really was the Messiah and God's son. In fact, the whole Bible is similarly clear. In Psalm 19:7, David wrote that God's Word makes simple people wise, God's Word is able to help people who are simple because it is clear and understandable, even though they may lack intelligence and make poor decisions. In the New Testament, Jesus assumed the Bible was clear by consistently referencing the Scriptures (Matt 12:3; 19:14; 21:42), Christ expected people who read God's Word to make sense of it and be able to think accordingly.
B. Its Message is Believable
The Bible is clearly understandable, and it is certainly believable. John's purpose for writing an understandable record of Jesus' life and ministry was to cause belief (John 20:31). John gave authentic eyewitness reports of Jesus’ words and works. John intended one specific result from the signs he included in his gospel account. His goal was to promote belief in Jesus as the Messiah, the divine Son of God. John was so convinced of Jesus' divine nature that he wrote his entire gospel in order to bring others to that same belief. When the entire book of john is considered, it makes perfect sense to believe that Jesus is the Messiah. No one else could do the miracles john wrote about, or say the things John wrote down, or live the life John recorded, if he was not the Messiah. John's message is consistent with the rest of the Bible and entirely believable.
2. The Bible is ILLUMINATED
For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints,16 do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers;17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might." Ephesians 1:15–19
It is true that some of the Bible is hard to understand.However, it is never impossible to understand, even if it demands time and effort. God did not hide His message in the Bible but rather revealed it. It is also true that some people refuse to believe the Bible's message. However, they refuse to believe because they are hardened toward God and His message, not because they don't understand it (2 Cor 4:4). God made a special way to help believers know for sure the Bible is true. He provided the Holy Spirit to help Christians understand by illuminating the Bible. The word illumination" refers to the work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of Christians to help them understand the Bible when it is heard or read. Like shining a light in the dark, the Spirit makes truth stand out in people's minds. From salvation and then all through the Christian life, Christians need the Holy Spirit to illumine their minds to God's character and works.
A. The Beginning of illumination
Not every person is a Christian, even if they attend church and know about God. In another one of his letters, John wrote a letter explaining what true saving faith looks like in real life. No doubt the apostle John saw many people in the early church who thought they were Christians even though they really weren't (1 John). One key element of true faith is that the Holy Spirit must be the one who teaches people about God and their need for Him. As John reached the end of his letter, he finished with a note of confidence. True Christians can be confident that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into the world and made it possible to know Him (1 John 5:20). Jesus provided the understanding needed to have a personal relationship with the true God, and He did so by sending His Spirit. The Spirit brings conviction of sin as well as confidence in the truth of the gospel, which results in repentance and genuine salvation (John 16:7-11). The understanding the Spirit brings is like someone turning the lights on. Suddenly, unbelievers understand their sin and their absolute need to be rescued by Jesus.
B. The Blessings of Illumination
Jesus is the light of the world. Though that is true, not every person experiences that light. Only those who come to Jesus by faith enjoy the inner spiritual illumination that helps them understand God and His Word. The Spirit helps sinners realize their need for salvation and their only hope in Christ, but that is just the beginning of His work of illumination. Salvation is simply the beginning of a life meant to be full of continued illumination, an ever-increasing understanding of God's Word. Paul wrote about the ongoing blessings of illumination in the first chapter of Ephesians. Paul glorified God for His amazing work in salvation and pointed out that salvation is intended to bring God all the glory He is due (Eph 1:1-13). He also prayed for the Ephesian believers to continue to grow and have Scripture illuminated for them after their conversion (1:15-19). The Spirit's ongoing illumination is necessary because Christians fail to understand all they should about God. Their knowledge is limited and their spiritual eyesight weak. With the Spirit's help, Christians can grow in their understanding of God and His ways (Eph 1:17-18). Illumination is not the same as revelation. Revelation refers to the Spirit uncovering new truth. Illumination does not mean that Christians add to the Bible, but rather understand the Word of God more clearly.
3. The Bible Must Be UNDERSTOOD
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
Christians ought to be thankful that the Bible is so clear and that God sent His Spirit to illuminate His Word to His people. The reason for such needed thankfulness is because God expects His Word to be rightly understood. Christians must be careful to study God's Word and avoid misunderstanding its powerful truths.
A. The Duty to Understand
In 2 Timothy 2:15, the apostle Paul told Timothy to work hard at studying the Bible. He wanted Timothy to rightly understand and explain it. Like a careful carpenter cutting a board, or a tentmaker cutting some cloth, pastors must be careful to get God's Word exactly right. Though this command is for pastors, it reflects God's expectation for careful study of the Bible. Often people confuse the truth of illumination with the idea of interpretation. "Interpretation" means deciding what the Bible means. Sometimes two different people can read the same passage and come to two different conclusions about what it means. However, God's Word does not have many different meanings. One person is right, and one is wrong. Only the right interpretation of a passage uncovers God's message.
B. The Danger of Misunderstanding
Misinterpreting God's Word has disastrous results. The Pharisees did not correctly understand the Bible and failed to realize that Jesus was the Messiah (John 5:39). The early church fought long and hard about God's message against misunderstandings regarding how Jews and Gentiles should live as Christians (Gal 2:11-15). Sometimes misunderstanding the Bible leads to minor problems that Christians disagree over, and sometimes it exposes the difference between true Christians and pretenders. However, misunderstanding God's Word at any level is harmful to Christians. Through humble and careful study, every Christian should do his best to understand exactly what God means in the Bible
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